Balsam (凤仙花)
It is a sparsely-branched annual herbaceous plant and grows about 0.3 to 1 m tall.
SCIENTIFIC NAME
Impatiens balsamina L.
COMMON NAME
Garden Balsam, Rose Balsam, Touch-Me-Not, Spotted Snapweed, 凤仙花, 指甲花
CLASSIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS
Plant Division Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Dicotyledon) Plant Growth Form Herbaceous Plant Lifespan (in Singapore) Annual, Semi-Annual / Annual-Like Plant Shape Shrubby, Open Maximum Height 0.3 m to 0.9 m Maximum Plant Spread / Crown Width 0.5 m PLANT CARE AND PROPAGATION
Light Preference Full Sun, Semi-Shade Water Preference Moderate Water Propagation Method Seed USES
- Leaves and young shoots cooked and eaten as vegetable. Seeds edible raw or cooked.
- The plant is used to treat pains in the joints. Leaf juice applied to warts.
- Mucilaginous flowers have cooling, antifungal and antibacterial properties, used to treat burns, scalds and snakebites.
- Powdered seeds given to women during labour to provide strength.
- A dye can be obtained from flowers and leaves, used for dyeing fingernails and toenails.
Disclaimer
The information in this website is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes.